Chapter 10

What the hell am I doing? Panic struck, just as Eric began to slip his big, warm hands up under Lori's t-shirt. She desperately wanted his hands on her aching flesh, but now that her brain had kicked in, she realized that this was a very, very bad idea. She'd only known him for what - two hours? Heck, he could even be married or something. Whimpering a little, she reluctantly pulled away.

Eric groaned again, but probably in frustration instead of pleasure. Nonetheless, he immediately dropped his hands back down to Lori's denim-clad hips and leaned over her, resting his forehead on the top of her head. "I'd say I was sorry, but I'd be lying," he muttered thickly.

She giggled nervously, then swallowed several times in rapid succession. "Are you married?" she blurted, immediately embarrassed for not being able to control her tongue.

Eric chuckled wryly. "That's what stopped you?" He tightened his grip, tugging her closer. She buried her face in his chest as he gently smoothed her tangled hair down her back. "Nope. No wife, no girlfriend, no infectious diseases. What about you?"

She shook her head, rubbing her face across the lettering on the sweatshirt. "No. I...uh...haven't been involved with anybody in a while," she admitted. And she'd never been this attracted to anybody this fast, she added mentally.

"Good," he said gently. He took one hand away from her hips and lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes and for just a moment it felt like he was looking directly into her soul. "Because I'd like to see you again."

She didn't pretend to misunderstand him. He wanted sex. With her. She could still feel his arousal pressing against her and she could also feel how tightly he was holding himself to keep his control. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. Nobody, especially not her former fiancé, had ever once looked at her with that sort of urgent desire. "I don't know." She ducked her head back down to burrow into his shirt. She could smell his clean, masculine scent even over the fragrance of her own detergent on the sweatshirt and it left her wanting to taste him all over.

He chuckled again and she felt the deep rumble in his chest against her flushed cheek. "How about if we just go out on a real date," he offered. "See where it goes from there?"

"All right," she nodded gravely, grabbing the lifeline. She knew she shouldn't. She was no good at relationships and right before her tenure review was the worst time in the world to start one, but she desperately wanted to see him again. "Tomorrow's good."

"Works for me." He rubbed his nose in her hair, inhaled, then sighed deeply. "Dinner?"

"Sure," her voice was breathy, as if she'd been running uphill. Then again, it matched her racing pulse.

He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Okay, now that that's settled, how about getting out of this place?"

"Okay." She stepped back, out of his arms, missing them almost instantly. Her hand was still shaky as she smoothed her hair back out of her face. "First, I want you to show me the steam tunnel entrance."

Eric shrugged. "Okay, if you want." He turned off the light in the janitor's closet and opened the door, peering out into the hallway. "Still nobody out here," he told her, checking the corridor with her flashlight. He held out his empty hand to clasp hers and a thrill ran up her spine at the warmth and strength of his touch.

Hand in hand, he led her down the hallway and around a corner, to where a rusty metal door marked the end of the passageway. Lori tried the knob, both relieved and frustrated to find it securely locked. She took the flashlight from Eric and shone it around the portal.

"The handle has been cleaned recently," she said excitedly. "There's oil around the lock." Eric just grunted in affirmation and Lori continued her examination. "There are scratches on the floor, here," she added, getting down on her knees to peer intently. "They look like they might be fresh."

"Great work, Sherlock," Eric teased as he tugged her to her feet. Then he took her elbow and led her toward the stairway. "Now we've got to get going. It's almost ten," he told her. "They're going to be locking up pretty soon."

She bounced along happily beside him. "Let's take the skin back to my lab. We might be able to figure out what kind of lizard it's from."

"At ten o'clock?" he asked, sounding surprised

"Spoilsport." She wrinkled her nose at him, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "I suppose the lab work can wait till tomorrow," she conceded, although she had a key to the Life Science building, of course. "I'll check it out and let you know what I see tomorrow at dinner."

They waved at a custodian as they exited the first floor of the building. The man barely spared them a glance as he checked each of the office doors, turning off lights behind him.

"You want a ride home?" Lori asked as she stood beside her little red car.

Eric shook his head. "I'll walk."

Lori smiled. "It's snowing and you don't have a coat on. Get in the car, silly."

He looked down at himself, seemingly surprised, as though he hadn't realized he wasn't wearing a coat. Lori's heart did a little flip. He was almost as scatter-brained as she was. She found that horribly endearing, somehow. "Oh, yeah," he muttered. "You probably want your sweatshirt back." Nonetheless, he obediently folded himself into her little red car.

"I'll get it tomorrow," she told him, gunning the vehicle and heading toward his street.

"Right," he affirmed. "Tomorrow, dinner." He cocked his head slightly to the side. "Six?"

"Okay," she said affably. There was silence for a few minutes, until she turned onto his block. "Which house?"

He pointed to the third one down, a small 1970s-era ranch with pale blue aluminum siding and crisp white trim. The porch light glowed with welcoming warmth. "That one." After he mounted the steps to his porch, she flashed the headlights, then spun the car around and headed for home.